[Treatment of hypercalcemia in osteolytic metastases with oral amino-hydroxypropylidene-diphosphonate]

Twelve patients with malignant hypercalcemia were treated with amino-hydroxypropylidene-diphosphonate (APD), a potent inhibitor of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. The mean serum calcium levels fell from 3,48 +/- 0,27 mmol/l before treatment to 2,66 +/- 0,31 after 10 days of oral APD (10 to 15 mg/kg/d) as the sole agent (p less than 0,001). The molar calcium/creatine ratio in the 24-h urine was significantly reduced from 2,11 +/- 0,73 to 0,70 +/- 0,52 after ten days of treatment (p less than 0,001). Serum phosphorus and urine hydroxyproline did not change significantly. Tolerance was good except for two patients with hiatal hernia who developed oesophagitis. Ours results confirm that oral APD is an effective and simple treatment of malignant hypercalcemia.